Statewide Disparity Study -Notice of Award

The State of Oregon, through the Department of Administrative Services Procurement Services (DAS PS), is conducting a Statewide Disparity Study to analyze procurement and contracting practices across executive branch agencies. The primary objective is to identify potential disparities in public contracting and provide recommendations for achieving parity, focusing on contract data from fiscal years 2017 to 2021. The study will comprehensively examine approximately 105 executive branch agencies, analyzing approximately 14,000 contracts and 50,000 to 100,000 purchase orders. Key deliverables include detailed analyses of utilization, availability, disparities, anecdotal data collection, economy-wide assessment, and regression analysis. Proposers must have experience conducting at least five previous disparity studies, including two for large entities, and demonstrate expertise in comprehensive procurement analysis. The original Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued with a proposal due date of June 21, 2022, at 2 PM PT, with a pre-proposal conference held on June 2, 2022. The State desires completion of the study by June 30, 2023, or within 12 months of contract execution, with potential flexibility to extend the timeline up to 18 months.

The procurement encourages participation from certified minority, women, service-disabled veteran-owned, and emerging small businesses (OMWESB). Proposers are required to submit an OMWESB Outreach Plan detailing strategies for ensuring disadvantaged businesses have equal subcontracting opportunities. Proposers must indicate their certification status, list certified firms they have worked with, and outline potential subcontracting opportunities with approximate dollar values. The State ultimately awarded the contract to BBC Research & Consulting, which scored 1,270.00 points, with the runner-up Colette Holt & Associates scoring 1,116.88 points. The estimated budget for the consultant contract is $1.3 million, with the State's collective contract spending during the study period being approximately $16 billion. The contract will be awarded for an initial one-year term with options to renew, and the State will evaluate proposals based on factors including the firm's experience, qualifications, project approach, methodology, timeline, and cost proposal.